Courtyard House: Home Alone

"Hello, Mr. Reinhardt."

Lin Yifan responded calmly, meeting the other person's gaze steadily. He thought to himself, "As expected, a significant figure has arrived—someone from the Foreign Affairs Department. It seems Little Mustache takes the blueprints and medicines in his hands very seriously."

Grandpa Tang pointed to the chair next to him and said to Lin Yifan, "Xiaofan, please sit down. Mr. Reinhardt has come with sincerity this time."

Lin Yifan sat down as instructed, leaning forward slightly and adopting an attentive posture: "Oh? I wonder what exactly Mr. Reinhardt means by sincerity?" He got straight to the point, not wanting to beat around the bush.

Reinhardt pushed up his glasses and a confident smile appeared on his lips: "Mr. Lin is indeed a man of few words."

We all know that Mr. Lin possesses some very... well, advanced technologies and medicines, which are of extremely important value to our German Empire.

Our head of state attaches great importance to this and hopes to obtain the transfer rights to these technologies, as well as the priority supply rights to penicillin, at a price that satisfies both parties.

He paused, his gaze sharpening: "Of course, we also know the immense value of these technologies. Therefore, we are willing to pay the full price."

In addition to the gold and mineral resources that Mr. Hans previously discussed with your side, we can also provide your country with industrial equipment, precision instruments, and some technical data in the military field as supplementary supplies.

Of course, we can also provide some of our current equipment if needed.

Lin Yifan sneered inwardly. Industrial equipment and precision instruments? While these things might be useful to China at present, they were utterly insignificant compared to the blueprints in his hands. As for technical data in the military field, it was probably outdated; Little Mustache wasn't that generous.

He didn't immediately respond. Instead, he picked up the teacup on the table, gently blew away the foam, took a slow sip, and then slowly spoke: "Mr. Reinhardt, what you've said sounds very appealing, but if I may be so bold, it's far from enough."

Lin Yifan put down his teacup, his eyes sharp as knives, and stared directly at Reinhardt. "You should know what the technology in my hands means."

That cannot be measured by simple industrial equipment or outdated data. It can bring about a qualitative leap in the combat effectiveness of an army and change the course of a war.

Reinhardt's smile froze slightly. He hadn't expected Lin Yifan to be so direct, and his appetite seemed even bigger than he had anticipated.

He pondered for a moment and said, "Mr. Lin, your technology is indeed very advanced. But what we offer is not ordinary either."

For example, we can provide state-of-the-art optical sight production lines, as well as some of our core technologies in the chemical industry. These will greatly benefit the upgrading of your country's industrial base.

"Optical sight? Chemical process?"

Lin Yifan scoffed, "Mr. Reinhardt, are you kidding me? These things, while not bad, are nothing compared to what I can give you. Fine, I'll get straight to the point."

Lin Yifan leaned back slightly, his fingers lightly tapping the table. "What I need is something tangible that can immediately enhance our country's overall strength."

He paused, then said, word by word, "First, in addition to gold and minerals, I also need you to provide at least three complete modern steel production lines, two tank production lines, one submachine gun production line, two machine gun production lines, three rifle production lines, one optical glass production line, and two automobile production lines."

Secondly, and most importantly, I need your commitment to provide our country with no fewer than fifty top technical experts in various fields each year for the next five years to help us establish and improve our industrial system.

By the way, I also mentioned to Mr. Hans last time that we also want a group of Jewish technical talents, especially experts and scholars with profound knowledge in physics, chemistry, engineering and other fields.

As you all know, what China lacks most right now is this kind of top talent, and you are expelling Jews. This is the 'sincerity' I truly desire.

After Lin Yifan finished speaking, he looked calmly at Reinhardt, waiting for his reply, as if what he had just made was not a request that would be difficult for any country, but just a trivial matter.

Reinhardt's expression changed completely; his hand holding the teacup trembled slightly, and the tea in the cup almost spilled.

He never imagined that Lin Yifan would dare to ask for such an exorbitant amount! Three complete, modern steel production lines? Two tank production lines? And so many gun and automobile production lines?

This is no longer a simple technology transfer compensation; it's practically asking the German Empire to help China rebuild half of its industrial system!

Not to mention the fifty top technical experts each year, as well as top Jewish talents—those are the people the empire is trying to "get rid of," but to "send" them to China, especially experts and scholars in various fields, is no small matter in terms of difficulty and risk.

"Mr. Lin,"

Reinhardt's voice finally trembled slightly. He took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. "Your request... is far too demanding. It goes far beyond the scope of normal technical transactions."

You must understand, steel production lines and tank production lines are strategic materials that involve the core industrial capabilities of a nation. We cannot easily…”

"easily?"

Lin Yifan interrupted him, a half-smile playing on his lips, "Mr. Reinhardt, do you think the technology I possess is something that can be acquired 'easily'?"

Blueprints for advanced fighter jets, tank designs that could change the course of land warfare, recoilless rifles, and penicillin that could drastically reduce soldier mortality rates… Which of these wouldn't give your country's army wings? Which wouldn't be worth the price?

He leaned forward slightly, his gaze pressing down on Reinhardt with an almost tangible intensity: "If your country finds these demands unreasonable, you are welcome to leave now. I believe there will always be discerning individuals willing to pay the price."

For example, your neighbor to the east, or Uncle Sam across the ocean, probably have just as much interest in these technologies as your country.

Lin Yifan's words, though spoken casually, were like a sharp knife piercing Reinhardt's heart.

He knew, of course, that Lin Yifan was telling the truth: if these technologies fell into the hands of the Soviet Union or the United States, it would have disastrous consequences for the German Reich. The Führer's order was to spare no effort; he could not afford to fail.

Reinhardt's forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat. He took off his gold-rimmed glasses, wiped the lenses with a handkerchief, and then wiped the sweat from his forehead.